The first day of the new format AFC/NFC playoffs was December 26, 1970. That day in the first game, the Cincinnati Bengals visited the Colts (then located in Baltimore).
The second game was in Dallas with the Cowboys hosting the Detroit Lions.
On that day in 1970 in the divisional round, the Colts beat the Bengals by 17 points. Then the Cowboys won by a 5 point margin vs the Lions.
44 years later, in the wild card round on the same day, first the Colts (now in Indianapolis) beat the Bengals by 16 points. Then aided and abetted by a terrible non-interference call, the Cowboys defeated the Lions by 4 points.
Those results are pretty darn eery, if you ask me.
Click here for a great throwback video!
1970 Lions vs Cowboys
1970 Colts vs Bengals
I am proud to say that I watched most of the 1960 movie, “The Time Machine,” rather than almost any of the dull Carolina Panthers (27-16) win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The Panthers who entered the game with a (7-8-1) record were six point favorites vs a Cardinals team that was (11-5) before the contest. Carolina was able to play the game at home despite their woeful (for a division winner) record.
In 2010, a Seattle Seahawks team that finished (7-9), was afforded the home field for its wild card round game against the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. Despite being big underdogs, the Seahawks won the game.
If the favored Dallas Cowboys win today in their wild card round home game vs the Detroit Lions, it will be Carolina visiting the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks next week in the divisional round.
What goes around in mediocrity may just come back around, still in mediocrity.
Oh my mind and recall! I doubt anyone else noticed, but yesterday 35 years (and one day later), history repeated itself “in reverse,” in a bowl game, involving Houston University.
Yesterday, the Cougars roared back from a (34-21) deficit and defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers (35-34).
“35” is the operative number as 35 years (and one day earlier), Notre Dame University led by quarterback Joe Montana, who was fed chicken soup (it couldn’t hurt) during the game, to combat his illness, came back from a (34-12) deficit and defeated Houston University. The final score was, you guessed it, (35-34).
Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, who died yesterday at age 82, was among other things, a brilliant speaker and quite a sports enthusiast.
His thinking was complex and he was a gracious, accessible gentleman on the few occasions that our paths (his, one of hard work, determination and beautiful longtime romantic love, immersed deeply in family) crossed.
A few of my lighter recollections of those meetings will follow, but first my heartfelt condolences to his family. His wife Matilda was beyond gracious and accommodating on the occasions I interviewed her.
We met as she worked tirelessly for such causes as mentoring and proper immunization for children. Those two being bipartisan and more important great causes, if there ever were some.
Mr. Cuomo was a good enough baseball player to make it far in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system in the 1950’s.
I remarked to him that was pretty darn good and his retort, reminded that the Pirates of the ’50’s were one of the worst major league teams ever, how good could their minor league team have been?
Once, The New York Times asked regarding Mario Cuomo; Sandy Koufax or Saint Thomas Aquinas? I know a little bit more about Sandy and mentioned him to Governor Cuomo.
He amazed me with the fact, not that he was at the game nor that he knew that Koufax fanned 15 Yankees to set a then World Series record in game 1/1963.
No, what amazed me is his recalling that the superb Yankees second baseman, Bobby Richardson, who was extremely difficult to strike out, had struck out three times in that game.
The last time I saw Mr. Cuomo, other issues were on my mind. He saw that my collar needed fixing and did so. What a wonderful gesture. Those issues, while important and stressful, were less so after his act of kindness.
Now we all need to fix or straighten/ “buck up” our collective “collars” in these hard, derisive times. That is a much more difficult task, without one as brilliant, caring and communicative as Mario Cuomo.
Matilda and Mario Cuomo
The “O’s” have it, as Oregon and Ohio State won playoff semi-final games yesterday and will meet in Arlington Texas on January 12th, to decide the national champion.
The “experts” who established Oregon as well over a touchdown favorite, albeit against a defending national champion Florida State Seminoles team that had won 29 straight games, were right as the Ducks eased to a (59-20) victory.
At night, Ohio State, over a touchdown underdog trailed (21-6), but scored 28 straight points and eventually held off Alabama (42-35).
Oregon has been established as just over a one touchdown favorite in the title tilt. They have never beaten Ohio State in 7 previous games played between the two schools.
TCU, a team I felt should have been in the college football playoff, ripped Mississippi University in a bowl game yesterday.
Credit the TCU team and Coach Gary Patterson for getting motivated to play in a bowl game after being denied a playoff spot, despite being ranked third and winning convincingly in their last game. Yet they were dropped out of the top four and playoff relevance.
At night, Georgia Tech won easily as a one touchdown underdog vs another Mississippi team, this one Mississippi State.
As with the “mole people” on the old Superman show, the Mississippi teams will “go back to where they came from.”
That place is far away from being national championship contenders, which the two teams were for a good part of this past season.
“Honeymoon in Vegas,” now in preview performances at The Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street), is a thrilling, entertaining show. It also makes a good statement about relationships and especially about commitments.
With Tony Danza leading the way, “Honeymoon in Vegas” combines nice music, superb dancing and well choreographed numbers. This is evident throughout the just over two hour performance.
Mr. Danza, of television fame in “Taxi” and “Who’s The Boss,” is an excellent “song and dance” man, who fits well in the role of “businessman”/ gambler, “Tommy Korman.”
The character “strikes” an “agreement” with “Jack,” played adeptly by Rob McClure. “Jack” surely has commitment issues, and McClure, a Tony Award nominee, is also well cast and gives a fine performance.
Brynn O’Malley as Jack’s girlfriend of five years, “Betsy,” who is awaiting marriage, and Nancy Opel as Jack’s deceased mother, who says and brilliantly sings “Never Get Married,” are also great.
The entire cast shines. Mr. Danza, interviewed this past Sunday on the excellent year end edition of CBS Sunday Morning, is a superb entertainer. This is a landmark showing for him.
I am glad he is getting this opportunity on Broadway and so glad I saw “Honeymoon in Vegas.” Go see it for yourselves.
After my (0-3) week in my pro football, who knows what to make of these College predictions.
In the first national semi-final game, aka the Rose Bowl, Oregon University is somehow a 9 point favorite vs defending champion Florida State, a team with a 29 game winning streak.
Florida State is a woeful (2-10) vs the spread, obviously all as the favorite in the game. This time, they will cover the spread but Oregon goes to the title tilt with a (37-30) victory.
In the night game/Sugar Bowl/national semi-final game, Alabama, coached by Nick Saban, who is seeking his 5th national title and fourth at Alabama, is also a 9 point favorite vs Ohio State. Their coach is Urban Meyer, who won two college titles while coaching Florida University.
I think the game is too close to call but will give a shaky, non cover (24-20) vote to Alabama which would get BAMA to a fourth title tilt during the Barack (O)BAMA administration, having won it all in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
The Green Bay Packers clinched their fourth straight NFC North crown yesterday, defeating the Detroit Lions (30-20).
The previous three years “G.B.” did not even make the NFC Championship game despite winning the NFC North, managing but one playoffs win, a wild card round win in 2012 at home vs the Minnesota Vikings.
Meanwhile, the Lions are relegated to playing in the wild card round.
That does not augur well for the Detroit Lions, a franchise without a playoffs win since 1991, in a home divisional game.
Additionally, the Lions are (0-7) all-time in wild card round games, six of them on the road.
It is the road again for the Lions in the wild card round as they visit the touchdown favorite Dallas Cowboys in the later Sunday game which rounds out the four game wild card round weekend.
There is a possible “silver lining” for the silver and blue clad Lions. In the film, “Silver Linings Playbook,” the protagonist’s team, the Philadelphia Eagles, wins vs the Cowboys.
In their aforementioned 1991 last playoffs win, the opponent was the Dallas Cowboys.
click here for 1991 Detroit Lions highlights
The city of Cleveland won its last major professional sports league championship 50 years ago. The Cleveland Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts (27-0) in Cleveland to win the 1964 NFL championship.
It was the only team championship for the Browns’ great running back, Jim Brown, who led the NFL in rushing yards in eight of his nine seasons before retiring on the set of the movie, “The Dirty Dozen” in 1966.
The 1964 championship game featured such great Browns players as quarterback Frank Ryan and receiver Gary Collins (the two combined for three touchdown plays). The immortal Lou “The Toe” Groza, and of course, Jim Brown also shined.
The Colts also had their share of great players in the game: John Unitas, Lenny Moore, Raymond Berry, Jim Parker and Gino Marchetti.
Jim Brown
Andy B Sports 